Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Sudoku Puzzle Valentine

Does your child enjoy solving Sudoku puzzles? My first grader just loves them! I created these valentines so she could share her fondness for the game with her classmates. Each booklet-style valentine contains four simple puzzles, solved with different colored hearts instead of numbers.

Coming up with the pun proved to be the hardest part as I quickly learned that there are no words that rhyme with Sudoku. After quite a bit of pondering, it came to me: "Sudoku" (So do you) want to be my Valentine?

Want to make these valentines for your own Sudoku addicted child? Download the puzzle pages and cover templates below, and then read on for the assembly instructions.

Begin by printing and cutting out the puzzle pages. The margins around the grid should be cut as shown in the diagram below. You want 1/4" of white space around the sides and bottom of the grid, and 1 1/4" along the top.

The cover is made by printing on both sides of a piece of card stock and folding over the top edge to create a binding for the puzzle pages. Print the pun side first, then turn the paper over and print the salutation side. Before placing it in the printer tray the second time, make sure the paper is rotated 180 degrees so the salutation prints on the edge opposite the pun.

Cut out the cover. With the salutation side facing up, lightly score a fold line 1" from the top edge. Fold it over and crease.

Stack the four puzzle pages together and butt them up against the inside of the fold.

Staple the pages to the cover about 1/4 - 1/2" below their top edge.

Fold the top down and glue it to the puzzle page.

Kids can solve the puzzles with crayons or colored pencils.

But if your child's school allows candy, you can make this Sudoku valentine extra fun by including a box of conversation hearts!

Hi Kirstin! What a neat idea for a Valentine! Just dropping by to thank you for linking up to Freedom Fridays and to let you know that we'll be featuring you tonight - you can grab a button if you'd like one! We can't wait to see what you share this week! Hugs!!

I love these!! Sharing this link with my daughter's for their kiddos!! And of course I am sharing it and pinning it as one of the great features at Freedom Fridays With All My Bloggy Friends this week!!

Hi, I'm Kirstin. Welcome to Craftiments, a creative DIY blog about my experiments in sewing and crafts. I can't wait to hear from you! You may send your questions and comments to kirstin {at} craftiments {dot} com.